Author's note: I actually wrote this one for my mother, who is a huge Charmed fan. Who'd have thunk it? In case you're curious, yes, she does forgive me for being a sadist.

Disclaimer: Nope, none of them are mine. But you knew that anyway.

Fighting the Demon

by Gatekeeper

Cole could feel his demon side waking up.

He knew that it was the reformed triad's magic that was giving it strength, allowing it to overpower his human side like it was

trying to. The only thing was, he was too weak to care anymore. He had been hurting for so long.

Besides, he had forgotten how ... good it felt. What a blessed relief it was to simply not care about the world anymore. About people anymore. About one woman in particular anymore. She had never completely trusted his human half anyway, not enough to accept him. Why not prove her right? Let the world burn while he finally escaped the pain.

But habit is a tenacious thing, and Cole's human half insisted on holding on. A fresh wave of agony shot through him, and Cole doubled over as his cell swam in front of his vision. He wanted to cry out to God, but He certainly wasn't going to pay any attention to a demon.

Then an achingly familiar voice screamed his name, and for a moment Cole thought he was hallucinating again. But suddenly she was there beside him, hands holding him gently and tears dripping onto his head. "Oh Cole," Phoebe whispered, heartbroken. "What have they done to you?"

Phoebe. The human part of him wanted to breathe in her scent, to wrap his arms around her and never let go, but that same part also knew how quickly its control was fading. He may be fine with sacrificing himself to the demon, but he refused to do that to her. No matter how she felt about him.

He wrenched himself away, scrambling to the back wall with a fierce desperation. "Not they, he hissed through teeth clenched against pain, "Me. The demon's coming back, Phoebe, just like you said it would be. Aren't you glad to know you were right?" He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice.

She was afraid. He could see it in her eyes. Good -- maybe she would leave then, before he lost control of the demon completely and hurt her. "No .... " She reached for him. Why was she reaching for him? "Fight it, Cole! You repressed it before -- you should be able to do it again. Don't let it beat you!"

He pushed her arm away, though he wasn't certain which him it was. "What if I want it to beat me?" he hissed savagely, using his anger to keep her eyes from killing him. "I'm all alone out here without him. No one wants a misplaced demon, Phoebe, no matter how hard he pretends to be human. You should know."

He could see her heart shatter, and Cole forced himself not to care. She had done it to him enough times. "You weren't pretending to be human, Cole. You were ... no, are human." She moved closer, touching his cheek. Couldn't she see the danger she was in? "And I want you. I always wanted you. I was just too scared to admit it."

Hope for the fragile human. But the ray of light came too late, and that side of Cole had slipped too far. The demon felt it reach one last time, and acted. It would not, could not, lose control.

The force of it seemed to spit his skull and he screamed, doubling over into Phoebe's arms without realizing it. Oh let her run, the human begged with his dying breath. Let her see the danger she's in and go. Her sisters can protect her from me, but only if she gets to them in time.

But still, she didn't run. "Cole!" she screamed, wrapping her arms more tightly around him, as if she could absorb some of his pain into her. "I'm so sorry, Cole, I'm so sorry. Please fight it, please. I'll find you, I'll find you wherever the demon takes you." She was babbling, tears streaming down her face, but neither of them were in any condition to care. "The human side came out once. It can come up again. I'll get you back, Cole. I swear it."

No. She was going to hunt the demon -- hunt it until it hurt her. The human Cole would be gone, possibly too weak to even be aware of what was going on, let alone take control again. The demon would enjoy hurting her, knowing how much she meant to Cole. He couldn't let that happen. His human side grabbed for the light.

Cole grabbed for Phoebe, holding her as tightly as she held him as he struggled to regain the surface, regain her, regain everything.

And the demon slept again.